After work I went jogging once again. It’s been ridiculously hot here in eastern China; 42C was the high for the day, and that’s without the humidity thrown into the equation. To give you an idea how crazy hot that is, we were hotter than what Las Vegas NV is forecast to be today by 2C! It’s now 50 minutes after my jog finished and I’m still sweating. The rest of the foreseeable forecast shows highs 40-42C. Thank goodness for air-conditioning and baby powder!
Anyway, on my jog something odd struck me. With the humidity so high — the word tropical doesn’t even come close to being accurate — it’s weird not to be swatting away gnats, flys, or mosquitoes. That’s right, there are none of those annoying flying insects outside to bother you. Maybe it’s been so hot they’ve all died? Ha! That would be something.
This is so different than when I was recently in the Galapagos Islands. The humidity was at the same level and at times it felt nealy as hot. But man, the flys and mosquitoes at the Galapagos were loving me as a food source. It was so bad on the first day, even using bug spray, I was certain the trip was going to be a miserable one. Fortunately, though, the Galapagos are so diverse that even the insects are different or just missing from certain islands. Phew!
While I have killed a few mosquitoes since arriving, maybe six at the most, it sure is nice not to have them around! Bees and wasps aslo seem to be missing, though I’m sure they’re just hiding. I’ve seen butterflys, a few spiders, and hear tons of crickets.
So for this oddity I am very thankful as it’s helping me enjoy my time in China that much more! Now only if Karl the Fog, San Francisco’s unofficial “mascot” that rolls in off the ocean every summer afternoon and drops the temps to 18-24C, could get his travel visa approved and visit us for a while. If only!